Chapter no.46 Dark Souls

Chapter no.46 Warrior of Sunlight

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Naruto and Solaire walked into the castle, their footsteps echoing faintly against the stone floor.

Solaire’s gaze immediately shifted to the unlit bonfire in the center of the room. “Ah, this will do nicely,” he said, moving to light it.

Naruto, meanwhile, took in his surroundings. The room was vast, filled with long, broken benches and barrels scattered about like remnants of some forgotten gathering.

To his left, a massive arched entryway led to a staircase, but the path was blocked by a heavy metal gate reinforced with wicked-looking spikes at the base.

But what really caught Naruto’s eye was the fountain. It stood at the far end of the room, worn and weathered by time, yet still impressive. At its center was a statue—a woman draped in flowing robes, her features serene and regal, a crown resting atop her head. In her arms, she cradled a small child, and in her other hand, she held a straight sword. Something about the sword tugged at Naruto’s memory.

The sudden whoosh of the bonfire lighting broke his thoughts, and Naruto turned to see Solaire sitting comfortably by the flame, its warm glow dancing across his armor.

Naruto sighed, flopping down beside him. “You know,” he started, staring into the fire, “I actually came here planning to fight that Taurus Demon again. Thought I’d see how strong I’ve gotten. But instead…” He threw his hands up in mock disbelief. “I ended up fighting a damn dragon!”

Solaire raised a finger, correcting him almost instinctively. “A wyvern, my young friend.”

Naruto gave him a flat look. “Seriously? That’s your takeaway from this?”

Solaire chuckled. “Precision matters, even in matters of beasts.”

Naruto grumbled but couldn’t help smirking. “Yeah, yeah… But still, I wonder why that is? Why stuff comes back, like it resets after a while, but some things don’t. Like the Taurus Demon—it hasn’t come back. Do you think the wyvern will?”

“No, it won’t.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“The flow of time here is… weakened,” Solaire explained, his gaze fixed on the fire. “Lordran is a world caught in a slow collapse. The passage of time erodes, and the world begins to resist change. Events loop back, repeating as if trying to return to a state of stillness—of stagnation.”

Naruto frowned, trying to piece that together. “So that’s why stuff comes back? Like a broken clock rewinding itself?”

“Precisely.”

“Then what about the exceptions?”

Solaire tilted his head thoughtfully. “Creatures or beings that are new to Lordran don’t yet belong to its cycle. When time pulls back, it resets to a state before they arrived. That is why such things disappear. But older beings—the ones tied deeply to this land—return, again and again.”

“Oh,” Naruto said. He could feel his brain struggling to keep up with the logic of it all. “So, like… why now? Why’s all this happening now?”

Solaire’s voice softened, almost somber. “The First Flame is weakening. As it fades, the Age of Fire—the age of light—nears its end.”

“And what happens when it ends?”

Solaire shrugged, his armor clinking faintly. “That, my friend, is a question even the gods cannot answer.”

A beat of silence passed, heavy and still.

“Well, I wouldn’t worry about it,” Naruto said suddenly, breaking the tension. “I mean, I’ve always lived by one rule: worry about the present. Future’s just gonna do its thing whether you stress about it or not.”

“Spoken like someone with their whole life ahead of them. But for us old-timers, the future is a weight we can’t ignore.”

Naruto rubbed his chin, quickly searching for a way to lighten the mood.

“Hey, Solaire, are you… y’know, someone important or something?”

“Important? I wouldn’t say so.”

Naruto grinned, pointing dramatically at the fountain. “Oh, come on! You’re telling me you’re not important when there’s literally a statue of you as a baby over there? You have the same sword—it’s you!”

Solaire let out a deep, hearty laugh that echoed across the room.

“That is quite the jest, my friend! But I assure you, I am no god or someone important to be immortalized in stone.”

Naruto squinted at him suspiciously. “You sure? Look at that sword. It’s just like yours.”

Solaire glanced back at the fountain, shaking his head. “Ah, the statue depicts none other than Queen of the First Kiln and her child. A far cry from me, I assure you.”

Naruto scratched his head. “Huh. So you’re not royalty, but you carry that same sword. Why?”

Solaire’s tone grew a touch softer. “I was once part of the Way of White, as many aspiring knights are. But my path led me elsewhere. I discovered the covenant of the child of sunlight—the Warriors of Sunlight. I swore my loyalty to that covenant.”

“Wait, Sunbro, you were part of that scammer cult?” Naruto blurted. “No offense.”

Solaire paused, then let out a soft, amused chuckle. “None taken, my young friend. The Way of White is the predominant faith in Astora, so joining its ranks was simply expected. A man often walks the same path as his forefathers.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that they’re kinda… shady. I mean, those undead hunts—“ Naruto stopped mid-sentence, his stomach twisting at the thought. I almost became one of their victims…

Solaire’s expression turned somber, though his voice remained steady. “Yes, the undead hunts. They speak of honor and duty, but I could not see it. The light of Allfather Lloyd—once brilliant—had grown weak, sad, and given up. In their fear of the curse, they hunted those who needed guidance most, and I… I found I could not call it justice.”

Naruto opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came.

“But,” Solaire continued, standing up and motioning for Naruto to follow, “that was only the beginning of my path. Come, there is something I would show you.”

Naruto frowned but stood, trailing behind Solaire as they walked through a doorframe to the right of the bonfire.

The broken Sunlight Altar stood as a worn-out relic of a forgotten age, its stone surface cracked and weathered. Overgrown grass and creeping vines had begun to swallow the area, nature slowly reclaiming what had been left behind. Scattered across the ground were fragments of what Naruto guessed used to be a statue—broken stone spread out like pieces of a shattered memory. His eyes lingered on the remains of a pair of stone boots, still anchored to the altar, and a strange, fractured spear embedded nearby.

The strangest sight, however, was to the sides of the altar. Two hollows knelt in silent prayer, their withered forms bowed low, utterly still. They didn’t attack or even acknowledge Naruto and Solaire’s presence.

“This place…” Solaire began. “It is here that I once knelt, lost and alone, seeking purpose.”

“You’ve been here before?”

Solaire nodded, stepping forward. “Yes. Long ago, when I first ventured into Lordran. I had no direction—no light to guide me. And then I saw it.”

“Saw what?”

Solaire stopped a few paces from the altar, his gaze fixed on the broken stone. “I knelt here, just as those hollows do now. I do not know why—perhaps some primal instinct or a whisper of fate. But when I closed my eyes, I saw it. The greatest light of my life.”

“What did you see?”

“The Sun,” Solaire said simply, his voice filled with warmth. “And in that moment, I was granted the power to wield lightning.”

Naruto’s eyes widened. So that’s how he does it, he thought, recalling the brilliant lightning spear Solaire had hurled against the wyvern. His mind buzzed with questions, but one stood out most. “Wait… so what is this place, exactly? This altar?”

“This is the Altar of Sunlight, once dedicated to Lord Gwyn’s firstborn. He was erased from history—banished for siding with the Everlasting Dragons during the Age of Ancients.”

“Damn…”

“A tale of great tragedy,” Solaire said solemnly. “The firstborn was the mightiest of the gods, the God of War himself. His betrayal cut deep, and so his name, his legacy—everything—was stripped away. Only faint echoes of his covenant remain.”

Naruto stared at the altar, absorbing the weight of the words. A God of War, wiped from history.

“Hey… can I join this covenant?”

“You wish to join the Warriors of Sunlight?”

“Hell yeah! Imagine how much that’d tick off Sasuke.” Naruto grinned, rubbing his hands together.

Solaire let out a deep, hearty laugh. “Your spirit is bright, my friend. Very well—kneel before the altar and offer a prayer. If the covenant accepts you, you shall know the brilliance of our Sun.”

Naruto didn’t need to be told twice. He hurried up to the altar, dropping to his knees in a posture of prayer. He pressed his hands together and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for some sign, some surge of power—anything.

Several silent minutes passed.

Naruto cracked one eye open, frowning. Nothing. No lightning, no warmth, no message from the heavens. Just silence.

“Uh…” Naruto looked back at Solaire. “Is this thing broken, or what?”

“It seems your faith was not strong enough, my friend. But do not be discouraged. Faith is not simply granted; it must be cultivated, like the warmth of the Sun itself."

Naruto’s shoulders slumped. “Man, I really thought I had that one.”

Solaire clapped a hand on his shoulder. “You have a fire within you, young squire. A fire that shines in its own way. You may not wield the Sun’s lightning yet, but your journey is far from over.”

“Wait, I have an idea!” Naruto said. “I’ll just level up my faith stat real quick, and then I can join the Warrior of Sunlight covenant. Genius, right?”

Solaire didn’t respond.

“Sunbro?”

“You… aren’t from this world, are you?”

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Yeah, I guess I never really got around to telling you that. But that doesn’t matter right now. I’ll just boost my faith and—“

“Don’t.”

The quiet weight of Solaire’s voice made Naruto pause. “Why not?”

Solaire sighed.

“My friend, the faith required to join the Warrior of Sunlight covenant is no small feat. You will waste precious souls on a path that may not suit you. After this point, Lordran grows harsher, deadlier. Choose wisely where you invest your strength.”

Naruto crossed his arms, deep in thought, the realization sinking in. “So… I shouldn’t level up faith?”

“Not unless it calls to you,” Solaire replied.

As they walked back toward the bonfire, Naruto shot Solaire a curious glance. “Hey, Sunbro, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“If the Nameless King showed you the sun, why are you still looking for one?”

Solaire stopped mid-step, his gaze drifting toward the pale sky. “Because, that Sun is not truthful. It is but a pale imitation—a reflection of what once was. The God of War’s sun is a replica of Lord Gwyn’s, forged in the shadow of the original light.”

“So… you’re looking for a real one?”

Solaire nodded. “Yes. I became Undead to pursue this truth, to seek out a Sun of my own. But sometimes, when I gaze upon the pale light of this world, I wonder… am I a fool? Chasing a dream that does not exist?”

“That’s… kinda depressing,” Naruto muttered.

“Hah! Perhaps it is. Perhaps I am a blind fool, laughed at by the world for seeking something beyond my reach. But what is life without purpose, my friend? Without a light to strive for?”

Naruto scratched his cheek awkwardly. “I mean… if it keeps you going, it’s worth it, right?”

“Wise words, indeed.”

Back at the bonfire, Naruto plopped down and opened up his system menu, ready to distribute his souls. “Any recommendations on what I should increase?”

“Vitality,” Solaire said without hesitation.

“Why that?”

“Lordran is an unforgiving place. Strength and power mean little if your body cannot survive its trials.”

Naruto nodded thoughtfully but still glanced at his Intelligence and Dexterity stats. He had plans for those, too. Then something clicked in his head, and a grin split across his face.

Wait… I can use that!

He quickly opened his inventory, rifling through it until his eyes lit up.

Bingo!

[ Item: Soul of Shisui Uchiha ]

[ Description: Soul of Shunshin no Shisui, who was betrayed by Konoha’s Anbu Commander. The truth of his death at the hands of Itachi told half of the story.

It seems that even in death, he left behind the safety of Konoha and his greatest weapon to Itachi Uchiha. ]

Naruto squinted at the text, rereading it for what felt like the fifth time.

The description didn’t add up—not with what Sasuke had told them. It was like trying to fit two jagged pieces of a puzzle together that just wouldn’t connect.

If the system said this, though… Naruto trusted it. Whatever had happened to Shisui Uchiha, it was more complicated than anyone let on. And the truth behind Itachi’s actions…

It’s always something with Konoha, isn’t it? He thought bitterly. First his parents, and now this entire shadowy mess about the Uchiha Clan Massacre.

His fist clenched involuntarily as frustration bubbled up.

“Something wrong, my young friend?” Solaire’s voice broke through his spiraling thoughts.

“Sunbro, have you ever been in a situation where… I dunno, everything you were told turned out to be a lie? Like there’s always something bigger going on in the dark, and no one ever tells you the full story?”

“More times than I can count.”

Naruto blinked. “Seriously?”

“Indeed.” Solaire leaned back slightly, his gaze fixed on the flames of the bonfire. “There are always those who work in shadows, young squire—be it for power, for survival, or for reasons they believe are noble. Often, the truths you uncover are but fragments of a larger picture, twisted by the agendas of others.”

Naruto frowned, staring at his hands. “That’s what I hate. Everyone’s got some stupid agenda, and the rest of us are just stuck in their schemes like pawns on a board.”

“And what makes you think you cannot be the one moving the pieces?”

Naruto looked up sharply, meeting Solaire’s steady gaze.

“Listen well, my friend,” Solaire continued. “When you find yourself caught in the machinations of others, you are faced with a choice. You can play their game—dancing to their tune, fighting on their terms—or…” He paused. “You can choose to play your own game.”

“My own game?”

“The world may scheme, lie, and twist the truth. But your path—your choices—are yours alone. If you let others dictate the rules, you’ll forever be at their mercy. Instead, carve out your own rules. Decide what matters to you. Then act, not as a pawn, but as one who holds the board.”

Naruto fell silent for a moment, the firelight reflecting off his thoughtful expression. “So… I should just focus on what I want to do, huh?”

“When you fight for your own convictions, you take power away from those who would seek to control you.” Solaire gestured toward the broken Sunlight Altar in the distance. “Even here in Lordran, the echoes of gods and heroes are twisted by time, by stories, by agendas. Yet their actions endure because they walked a path they believed in, whether others understood it or not.”

Naruto mulled over the words, the weight of them settling in his chest. He thought of Konoha, of Team 7, of everything he’d been told and everything he’d learned on his own. Then he thought of the Bells of Awakening, Lordran’s brutal trials, and the legacy of his master Oscar.

“Guess I’ll just have to make my own moves, then.”

Solaire clapped him on the back with a hearty laugh. “Well said, young squire! A knight must always walk his chosen path, no matter how twisted or uncertain it may seem. And who knows? In time, your truth may outshine even the darkest of lies.”

Naruto smirked, the fire in his eyes reigniting as he reached into his inventory and grabbed Shisui’s soul. The greenish flame flickered faintly in his palm, radiating an eerie yet oddly calming energy. The moment his fingers closed around it, the flame surged into him, and a wave of warmth pulsed through his body.

[ You have absorbed 12,000 souls ]

Naruto’s eyes widened as he nearly choked on air.

T-Twelve thousand?!

The glowing number hovered before him:

[ Souls: 23,000 ]

Naruto blinked, processing the amount. “No way…” he muttered under his breath, already doing the math in his head.

If I’ve got twenty-three thousand… that’s, what, six level-ups?

He paused, counting on his fingers for reassurance. “Yeah, six. Maybe more if the next levels aren’t too expensive.”

He glanced back toward the bonfire and sat down, rubbing his hands together as he navigated the level-up screen.

Alright… I’ll split it up evenly. Two points for Vitality, two for Intelligence, and two for Dexterity.

[ Status ]

[ Name: Naruto Uzumaki ]

[ Covenant: Way of White ]

[ Level: 21 → 26 ]

[ Souls: 23,000 → 641 ]

[ HP: 573/573 → 616/616 ]

[ Stamina: 93 ]

[ Equip Load: 45.8/51.0 ]

[ Attributes: ]

[ Vitality: 10 → 12 ]

[ Attunement: 12 ]

[ Endurance: 11 ]

[ Strength: 24 ]

[ Dexterity: 11 → 13 ]

[ Resistance: 12 ]

[ Intelligence: 11 → 13 ]

[ Faith: 12 ]

[ Humanity: 0 ]

[ Defense Stats: ]

[ Physical Defense: 141(46) → 150(55) ]

[ VS Strike: 138 → 146 ]

[ VS Slash: 156 → 164 ]

[ VS Thrust: 141 → 149 ]

[ Magic Defense: 104(47) → 111(54) ]

[ Flame Defense: 107(47) → 114(54) ]

[ Lightning Defense: 81(46) → 89(54) ]

Leveling up Vitality brought a subtle, invigorating rush—like a second wind at the end of an exhausting battle. His muscles felt denser, his breathing steadier, and his heart thudded with renewed vigor, as though he’d shed some invisible weight holding him back.

Intelligence, on the other hand, left a faint hum in his mind, like the gears of a well-oiled machine turning smoother.

Dexterity, though? Naruto flexed his fingers, swiped at the air a couple of times with his sword, and frowned. “Still feels the same,” he muttered, but a quick check on his stats showed a minor boost to his damage. He grinned. “Eh, I’ll take it.”

“Well then, Solaire,” Naruto said, “I think it’s time I head back to my world.”

“You can go back?!”

“Yeah,” Naruto replied casually. “I die, and then I pop back in my world like nothing happened. Weird, huh?”

“Interesting,” Solaire mused, his voice trailing off as he reached into his satchel, rummaging around. “Naruto, I have a proposition—if you have a moment.”

“Sure.”

Solaire pulled out a small shard, white and crystalline, with a delicate golden cloth wrapped around its base. The crystal seemed to pulse faintly, as though holding a heartbeat of its own.

“Remember when I mentioned that the flow of time in Lordran has become… convoluted?”

Naruto nodded, not quite catching the weight of those words but intrigued nonetheless.

“Well,” Solaire continued, “this disturbance has caused people from the past to appear in the present, as if flickering like embers in a dying fire.” His voice took on a more solemn tone. “There’s no telling how much longer your world and mine will remain in contact.”

Naruto’s brows furrowed.

“Take this. Use it to summon me, or others, as spirits—cross the gaps between our worlds, and we shall engage in jolly co-operation.”

Naruto blinked, his jaw slightly slack. “Wait… summon you? Like… you can come to Konoha?”

“Of course,” Solaire said. “Though I will appear in the form of a phantom—merely a spirit in your world, bound to aid you.”

A wide grin spread across Naruto’s face. “Oh, man, Sunbro, you have to come to Konoha! I’ll show you my world’s sun and, trust me, the food of the gods!”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

[ Item: White Sign Soapstone ]

[ Description: Dimensional travel item. Use summon sign. Be summoned to another world as a phantom through a sign. ]

“But, uh, how do you use this thing? It’s not exactly self-explanatory.”

Solaire unfastened his gauntlet and removed it, revealing a surprisingly human hand—flesh unmarred and unblemished by hollowing. He held the crystal shard up and let a single drop of blood fall onto it. The shard seemed to absorb the blood instantly, pulsing once like a heartbeat.

“You must be in the form of a human,” Solaire explained, tucking his gauntlet back on, “and when you call upon my name, deep in your heart, I shall answer.”

“Got it. Sunbro on demand, that’s awesome.”

Solaire let out a good-natured laugh.

Naruto smiled as he tucked the item into his inventory.

“Well, I guess this is goodbye for now, Sunbro.”

Solaire responded in kind, stepping back and lifting his arms to form a familiar Y shape. “Farewell, my friend. I look forward to our next meeting. Praise the Sun!”

Naruto froze mid-step, his breath catching in his throat. That pose. It was exactly the same as the one the Black Knight had struck after he’d taken it down. His brow furrowed, questions flooding his mind.

He opened his mouth to ask, but at that moment, a sharp alarm began buzzing from his pocket. Naruto groaned. The alarm, a glaring reminder of the real world and the mission that awaited him back in Konoha.

“Ah, man, I don’t have time for this,” Naruto muttered, shoving the alarm back into his pocket.

Mimicking Solaire’s stance, Naruto raised his arms into the same Y shape.

“Praise the Sun!”

And with that, Naruto threw himself off the bridge.

Solaire stood quietly at the edge of the broken bridge, his gaze lingering on the spot where Naruto had thrown himself into the abyss. He waited patiently, fully expecting the boy to respawn at the nearby bonfire.

And yet… he didn’t.

Solaire’s brows furrowed beneath his helmet, an unusual unease creeping into his thoughts.

In the Age of Ancients, when the Furtive Pygmy first called upon souls from distant worlds, none of them could return to where they came from. They were bound to Lordran. That was simply the nature of this world.

And yet, Naruto was different. The boy came and went freely, tethered to another existence beyond Lordran’s broken reach. It defied everything Solaire knew about this realm’s laws of time and space.

Was this a sign?

“Has the world distorted so much that it has called upon an invader who can bring balance?” Solaire mused aloud. “Or… is this the scheme of some unseen entity?”

There were no answers here, only questions, stretching endlessly like the cursed cycle itself. Solaire sighed, the weight of uncertainty settling on his shoulders like an old friend. Whatever the truth, he couldn’t help but feel there was something extraordinary about that young squire. Something that perhaps even the gods—had not accounted for.

Shaking his head, Solaire turned toward the rusted lever embedded in the wall. His gauntleted hand gripped the handle, and with a heavy pull, he brought it down. The grinding of gears groaned through the ruins as the portcullis began to rise, its ancient metal screeching in protest.

Solaire watched the gate open, sunlight spilling faintly through the broken arch beyond.

“Wherever you go, my friend, may your flame never falter,” Solaire said quietly to the empty air. His voice carried a deep warmth, as though the boy could somehow hear him across the veil of worlds.

“Until next time, Naruto. I hope we will fight side by side once more, in Lordran or beyond.”

And with that, Solaire disappeared into the sunlight, leaving only the gentle hum of the bonfire in his wake.

______

[ Author Note: Okay, so we know that Naruto got to Lordran via the Darksign he found in the Forbidden Scroll of Seals. My question to you guys is: who put it there? And yes, this is going to be a big plot point later on in the story. Also, what did you guys think of my characterization of Solaire?! ]